the complications of medication for women

by Chris Steidle, MD

Imagine a perfect treatment for female sexual dysfunction or, for that matter, any disorder. To start with, it would have to have an easy route of administration. Pills have worked best, and second best are nasal sprays for both have very rapid onsets of action. In other words they would go to work almost immediately. This perfect medication would also have absolutely no side affects whatsoever and produce the desired result almost immediately upon administration In addition, this perfect medicine would have no adverse effects on the liver or kidneys as it is being broken down and excreted from the body.

In addition, this perfect medication would have no effect on a sexual partner or their unborn children. Unfortunately, there is no perfect medicine for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction, as we ourselves haven’t come to terms with exactly what has caused it. Remember, everyone is different when it comes to medical problems and syndromes, and, as a consequence, all treatments are different including dosages and side affects.

Perhaps the most common side effect attributed to Viagra is headaches, which were found in 16% of the men involved in the clinical trials. Other side effects include flushing of the face, upset stomachs, nasal congestion and abnormal vision The side effects mentioned tend to be dose-dependent; in other words men who take higher doses of Viagra tend to notice more side affects. Viagra’s biggest complication, though, is its most ominous. Viagra has been linked to several deaths among men who have taken it. This was candidly anticipated by the medical community and began shortly after the release of the drug on the market. For a time, it appeared there was almost a daily count of Viagra related deaths in the media. In fairness, the deaths have been attributed not simply to Viagra but to its lethal and strongly cautioned against combination with nitrate based medications. When used with nitrates, the risk of death in using Viagra soars.

Another medication showing great promise in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction is amino acid L-arginine, an amino acid that has been shown to improve erections in men. Studies conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Irwin Goldstein on experimental animals shows that it actually increases vaginal blood flow response to nerve stimulation.

Another medication known as apomorphine, a drug used many years ago for the treatment of poisoning, has also been hypothesized to stimulate blood flow to the vagina. Again, early animal studies show that there is an improvement of the vaginal blood flow in rabbits.

Oral phentolamine is a very potent relaxer of vascular smooth muscle. This drug has been studied in women and there are now plans to test this medication in the form of a vaginal suppository.

Another promising drug is Prostaglandan E1. This is a medication that is injected into the penis to produce an erection and when formulated as a gel, it has been found to improve blood flow in rabbits.

January 2000